Load carrying scraper



Nov. 21, 1944. l, H, BROWN ETAL 2,363,225

LOAD CARRYING SGRAPER Filed Dec. 23, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 .L H. BROWN E'lAL LOAD CARRYING SCRAPER Nov. 21, 1944.

Filed Dec. 23, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 21, 1944 `'uNiTrsD STATES PATENT oFFlc-ad Loan omarmd sonnen Ivan H. Brown and George S. Allin,

Seattle, Wash. r

, f Application December23, 1942, Serial No. 469,874

2 Claims. (Cl. 37-126) This invention relates to improvements in dirt moving vehicles, and it has reference more particularly to improvements in wheel equipped, dirt hauling scrapers of those .types referred to, described and illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 237914,'790, issued to George S. Allin on February 3, 1 2. More speciilcally'stated, the present invention relates to the provision of. means for the'control and operation of scrapers of those types referred to by means of cables and in the provision of a novel arrangement of linkage operatively connectlng the scraper gate with a load ejector whereby the movements of the ejector are determined by certain opening and closing movements y comprises spaced, opposite side walls, and aback wall. but is open at the front end and bottom. The back wall is ilxed between the rearward end portions of the side walls in a rearwardly and upwardly sloping position, and is equipped at its lower edge with a blade for digging into or scraping up of dirt to iill the bowl when the latter is lowered to such position that the blade will be disposed in ground contact. Also, in such 'sci-apen, a gate is supported between the side walls of the bowl, forwardly of the blade, to swing upwardly and downwardly about a horizontal, transverse axis, and is so positioned forwardly of the blade that it may bewraised to an open position, 'thus giving an obstructed entry of dirt to the bowl, and may be closed downwardly from a raised, or openposition, 4first to pick up any run of loose material formed ahead ofthe blade dur- .ing a scraping or bowl filling operation and then,

when fully closed. to retain the loadin the bowl for transportation to a point of discharge.

In the above type of scraper, provision is made that, with the opening of the gate, dry dirt or v sand will be automatically discharged by gravity ilow. In the event that the material of the load should be wet or muddy and gravity discharge retarded or not possible, the load is, then` ejected by mechanically actuated means.

In the scraper of the patent above referred to, an ejector plate or shoe is provided at the rear of the bowl. Connected with this plate is a hydraulically operated mechanism whereby the plate may be actuated forwardly against the load for a quick, positive and complete ejection thereof. Also, itV has been shown in the scraper of the patent that the scraper bowl may be lifted from and lowered to scraping and loading positions by power that is applied through hydraulic jacks to the mounting frames for the rear sets of supf porting Wheels.

-In the operation of Scrapers of this kind, it is most generally the case that tractors of the crawler type are used to draw them. Such tractors are sometimesv equipped with cable winding drums adapted for scraper andother auxiliary equipment uses. Therefore, it isfrequently more practical that the'scraper drawn by the tractor should be cable controlled from the tractor rather than operated under control of hydraulically powered devices on the scraper.i Furthermore, under certain climatic conditions, such as hot desert regions, cable operation and control is more practicable from the standpoint of than is hydraulic equipment. y

In view of the foregoing, it has been-'the principal object of this invention to provide for the control and operation of Scrapers of those types or kinds referred to or illustrated in the patent previously mentioned, by cables in lieu of hydraulic power devices.

Morespecically stated, it is the object of this invention to provide a wheel equipped scraper having a vertically swinging gate operated between closed and open positions under cable control, and having a load ejector that is operated by and in accordance with movements of the gate.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the gate may be opened to an unobstructed loading .position without reaction of any kind on the ejector and whereby the opening of the gate beyond this predetermined degree will cause functional action of the ejector to take place, and through which means the weight oi the suspended gate, in a closing operation, will return the ejector to its normal position.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a load carrying scraper of the kind stated, having avertically swinging gate at the front or open end of the bowl, and a load ejection device at the rear end of the bowl. Furthermore, to provide for operation of the gate under cable control and for the mechanical actuation of the ejector through la novel operating linkage between the gate suspending arms and the ejector operating shaft whereby upon the opening of the gate beyond a predetermined initial interval, the linkage will cause rotative action of the ejector shaft with a resultant operation of the ejector.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel features of the various parts used in the combinatiomand in their relationship andnmode of operation, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these vand other objects of Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on I line 2-2 in Fig. 1.l

Fig. 3 is a half-top view or plan of the scraper with the gate and ejector set as ln Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the ejector moved forwardly of normal position.

Referring-more in detail to the drawings- Briefly described, thev scraper to which the present invention is applied, comprises a bowl for the receivingfandtransporting of a load of dirt. The bowl is supported between forward and rearward sets of ground wheels and the vehicle thus formed is equipped with a tongue, or draw bar, whereby it may be attached to a tractor or the like. The bowl has a scraper blade fixed across the forward edge of the bottom wall and this, when brought into ground contact by lowering the bowl, will operate to dig up the dirt and cause it to flow into the howl as the vehicle is moved forwardly. Raising and lowering of the bowl is eiected by making downward and upward swinging adjustments of the rear sets of wheels and this movement of the wheels is under control of manually operated mechanism most generally carried on the tractor and easily accessible to the tractor-operator.

In the scraper herein illustrated, the bowl is designated in its entirety by reference numeral I. It comprises the parallel, spaced opposite side walls 2A and 2. These walls preferably are sheet metal plates of substantial height and length; each plate being equipped with a forward extension, frame for support comprising rrigid struts 3 and 4, arranged as seen best in Fig.

1. These struts at each side of the bowl have their rearward ends ilxed securely to the corresponding side wall plate adjacent top and bottom edges thereof, respectively, and are joined together at their forward ends.

It is observed in Fig. 1 that the upper strut l is made up of two' parallel, tubular members mounted at their opposite ends in bearing blocks 3a and 3b respectively. In Figs. 1 and 2, it is shown that the block 3b is mounted on a pin la: that is fixed in and extends outwardly from the side wall plate 2. 'I'he block la, likewise, is fixed on a pin 3y that is mounted in and extends outwardly from the forward end portion of th strut 4.

VAs a detail of construction. the side wall plates of the bowl are stiifened by horizontal nange plates Il welded thereto along their top edges, and in Fig. 5 it is shown that the pin 2z is given additional support by reason of its being nxed in message Y,

a depending bracket II that is welded to the outer edge of the flange plate 4l. v

The extension frames that are fixed to the opposite side plates of the bowl are joined rigidly in spaced relationship by a horizontal member I which, in this instance. is a heavy tubular beam, as noted in Fig. 4.

It is shown in-Figs. 3 and 4 that the upper, forward ends of the strut frames 4 are enlarged to provide for the fixing of the ends of struts 2 thereto and it is to these enlarged upper end portions that the tubular cross beam i is welded The bowl is supported at its forward end by a gooseneck bracket I that is fixed solidly to the beam 5 in the central longitudinal planeo! the bowl. This bracket arches upwardly and forwardly, then extends downwardly, and at its lower end it pivotally mounts a'knuckle 1 which, in turn, is pivotally mounted on a cross axle l. 'Ihe axle 8 is the front axle of the vehicle and is equipped with ground wheels l-l at its opposite ends. A draw bar Il is operatively fixed to this axle as seen in Fig. 3 for connecting the vehicle with atractor or prime mover.

The forward end of the bowl, that is, the space between the forward end portions of the opposite side wall plates 2 and 2', is open, as is also the bottom of the bowl, except for the gate, as presently will be explained. The rear end of the bowl, that is. the space between the rearward edges of the side wall plates 2 and 2', is permanentlyclosed by a forwardly and downwardly inclined wall I I which is designated as the back wall. This back wall is equipped along its lower edge with a. scraping blade I2, having its lower cutting edge extended somewhat below the lower edges of the side walls to adapt it for the intended scraping and loading operation.

The back wall il is substantially reinforced, and is supported between the side walls by suitable cross beams I3. This wall slopes upwardly and rearwardly from the blade at approximately a 25 angle relative to the ground level, and its top edge terminates approximately midway of `the top and bottom edges of the side walls, as

will be observed by reference to Fig. 4.

At its rearward end, the bowl is supported for use, transportation and for vertical adjustment by a pair of laterally spaced sets of ground wheels Il-I5, mounted at the rearward end of a vertically oscillating frame I6. This frame comprises side arms |62: that extend along sides of the bowl and are pivotally hinged at their ends, as at I1, to the side walls near the pivots 3x. At its rear ends, the frame I8 has laterally extended spindles 20 fixed therein on which the ground wheels I5 are revolubly mounted.

The raising and lowering of the bowl relative to the ground to various positions for loading,

leveling oi! or for transportation of a load, is effected by the relative vertical adjustment of the rear end of the wheel mounting frame I6. This adjustment is accomplished through cable winding mechanism as shown best in Fig. 3, wherein it is seen thata cable 22 leads rearwardly from a winding drum 23 on the tractor, passing beneath and upwardly aboutl a guide sheave 25 mounted on the forward end portion of the gooseneck bracket l, thencev passing upwardly therefrom and over and rearwardly about a sheave 2l mounted on the crown of the gooseneck bracket l, thence rearwardly along the bracket to a sheave 21, then extended laterally and about a sheave 2l at the side and forward end of the bowl, thence rearwardly-along the side wall of the bowl, about assassin a sheave 2l at the rear, then again inwardly and over a sheave 29', and finally thecable is threaded through pulley blocks indicated at Il and 3|, fixed respectively to the rear end of the bowl and to the rear end portion of the wheel frame Il. The cable 22 may be paid out or drawn in on the winding drum 23 to swing the frame I l upwardly or downwardly, thus to lower or raise the bowl accordingly, as is well understood in the art.

As will be noted by reference to Fig. 4, the rear wall Il of the bowl is so inclined that, with the blade I2 moving forward while in digging contact with the ground, there will be a relatively easy digging action and a comparatively easy upfiow of earth across the blade, to be pushed up the back wall and retained in the bowl between its opposite side walls as provided for by the gate.

The gate isl designated in its entirety by reference numeral Il, and it extends transversely between the opposite-side walls of the bowl to serve, when needed, as a closure for the front end and for the open bottom of the'bowl when it is desired to retain and transport a load in the bowl. The gate, as shown in Fig. 1, is an angularly formed plate, substantially braced on its forward side and of substantial width from top to bottom edge. This plate is equipped along its longitudinal side edges with load retaining wings 3l, and it is supported in the bowl from its opposite side edges by a pair of levers or :arms l1 that are welded or otherwise fixed to the wings to extend vrearwardly therefrom at the outside of and closely along the side walls of the bowl. Near their rear ends, these levers are plvotally mounted on pivot bolts 38 xed in the side walls of the bowl near the top edge of the latter, as seen in Fig. 1. Each of the gate supporting lever arms 3l is in the nature of a bell crank lever and has a part I1' extending angularly beyond the pivots 3l and these, as presently described, serve as part of the operating means for the load ejector plate.

Raising and controlled lowering of the gate is effected by means of a cable that is fixed at its lower end to the lower edge portion of the gate, as indicated at 45a: in Fig. 1, and extends upwardly from the point of connection with the gate over a sheave wheel 4I that is mounted at the rear of a frame 41 fixed upon the goose-neck bracket 6, then is extended forwardly and is attached to a pulley block 48. An operating cable 49 extends from a winding drum Il on the tractor, over a fairlead II' and about sheaves Il at the forward end of the bracket I and about sheaves 52 in the block 48 and is finally deadended in the block 4l. When cable 49 is wound in on the tractor drum 50, the gate will be raised.

,When the cable isfpaid out, the gate will lower ground, ready to unload, any slight opening of the gate will permit the dirt to spill out, and its rate of spill is in accordance with the extent to which the gate is opened, the elevation f the scraper body and the character of the dirt. For

the forcibleejection of a load, the gate would lower edge of the plate 80 overlaps the top edge of the back wall Il, resting thereagainst for the support of a load. 'I'he ejector plate serves as a continuation of the back wall and it curves upwardly and forwardly as it approaches the top is horizontally disposed, back ofthe wall lI/and revolubly contained in suitable bearings in the rear edge portions of the side walls of the bowl.

At their upper ends, the arms Bl-Bli are pivotally fixed as at 88. to the back of the elector plate near its upper edge.

At its outer ends, the cross shaft 68 has upwardly directed lever arms 10 fixed thereto, and to'these arms, at each side of the bowl, are links 1I which extend forwardly and have operating connection with the lever arms l1' of the gate mounting levers 31. It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the connections between the forward end portion of a, link 'Il and the corresponding lever arm 31 is effected by a pivot bolt 15 in the end of'the lever arm, extended through a longitudinal slot 16 in the forward end portion of the link. This lost motion connection provides that, with the ejector plate in its retracted, normal position, the gate may be `moved from a completely closed position to an open position suitable for loading, without causing action of the ejector. However, upon opening the gate beyond knormal loading opening the levers 31' cause pull to be applied through the links 1| on the lever arms vlil to rotatably actuate the shaft BI. thusK through the mediacy of the lever arms 65, to swing the top edge of the ejiector plate forwardly, then to slide the plate downwardly along the back wall to cause the forcible ejection ofthe load. After a load has been ejected, the

- gate may be lowered to closed position, and in be fully opened and the ejector plate functionally actuated.

The load ejector as here shown comprises a 'plate 60 that extends between the side walls of this movement, will cause the ejector to be returned to its normal position, resting at its bottom edge against the wall plate il and at its top portion against the cross member which joins the side wall plates of the bowl; this being designated at in Fig. 4.

We claim:

l. In a vehicle of the character described, a

dirt receiving bowl open at its forward end and equipped with a scraping blade for filling the bowl,` a gate for the open end of the bowl, lever arms swingingly mounting the gate on the bowl for swinging movement between fully closed and fully open positions, means for actuating the gate between open and closed positions, an ejector plate movable in the bowl from a retracted position toward the open end of the bowl for the ejection of a load therefrom, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bowl, lever arms fixed to the shaft and pivoted to the ejector plate for the actuation of the latter, crank arms on the shaft ends, links having ends pivotally attached to the crank arms and having pin and slot connection with the gate mounting lever arms; said 2. In a vehicle of the character described, a

scraper bowl open at its forward side and have ing opposite side walls and an upwardly and 4 i assassin rearwardly sloping bottom wall. a late for the open side of the bowl, bell crank levers pivoted on the side walls with ends nxed to the gate to support it for swinsins movement between open and closed positions, an ejector plate resting at its lower edge in sliding contact with the bottom wall, a cross shaft revolubly mounted in the bowl back of the ejector plate, lever arms iixed to the cross shaft and pivoted tothe ejector plate near its top edge for its support and actuation. operating levers xed to the cross shalt, links joining the levers with the other arms of .the bell cranks, and including lost motion connections therein whereby the cross shaft will be rotated incident to openinz movementoi the gate beyond a predetermined partially open position to aotuate the ejector downwardly along the bottom wall and whereby the ejector will be retracted with the returnv of the gate to i'ully closed position, and means for raisins and lowering the gate.

IVAN H. BRQWN.

GEORGE B.` ALLIN. 

